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Have any of you had any kind of clarity throughout working the steps? Im still on step 2, and people have told me that these are the steps I will feel most awakened at-accepting a higher power and all..I feel like the biggest problem for me right now is in regards to my spiritual growth/spiritual aspects throughout the program.Does anyone have any advice on how to get over spiritual roadblocks throughout working the steps?

Which literature is that you are using for reference? My suggestion to newcomers is for them to listen to the Doctors Opinion, Bills Story, There is a Solution and More about alcoholism segments of Joe and charlie workshop. History segments of that workshop is also a great part. With a highlighter marking the segments they cover. That will give people some idea the necessity of working the 12 steps. I did that first 3 months of just going to meetings and one day heard Chris R that was another piercing message I received and that propelled me to rest of the steps.

Show him, from your own experience, how the peculiar mental condition surrounding that first drink prevents normal functioning of the will power (Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 92)

I can’t remember ‘feeling’ much spiritually when I was on 1 & 2, my life was a mess and I couldn’t stop drinking on my own, so those steps I just accepted. Even on #3 I didn’t feel much, the book says sometimes an effect is felt after saying the prayer but not for me. It was not until #5 that the program really started to have an effect I could feel, I like how they describe it in the book -

Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.

My mistake was waiting for some kind of spiritual awakening at #3 before going on to #4, but it may just have been an excuse not to tackle #4, so I believe, and the literature suggests, we don’t delay, say the 3rd step prayer and start #4, then on to #5 without delay. That’s where we start building a defense against the tricks our mind will surely play, and save us from reaching for the first drink.

"Good morning, this is your Higher Power speaking. I will not be needing your help today."

I was working through my Steps, Came to believe that the Group/Fellowship was a Higher Power that could return me to Sanity. Had total Faith that they could and would, but couldn't understand how to turn my Will and Life over to that Faith.

But I chaired some meetings and started on my 4th step. I wasn't getting anywhere when a "Moment of Clarity" happened to open a whole new view of the 3rd step. I wasn't even looking for a 3rd Step answer.

I could then finish my 4th and 5th step.

About 4 months later, I joined a Commitment Group and started through my steps again. Finishing my 5th step, I didn't get the same feeling as the first time. I called my Sponsor even to ask if he missed something.

Our Area Round Up was that week. Rev. Peter W (Machine Gun Pete) was speaking as I walked in. He was talking "Defects" as if he were talking just to me. I got "Clarity" of the 6th and 7th step, again when I wasn't looking for it.

Hello mango, Name is Robert and I am a Los Angeles area alcoholic. I have had many moments of clarity in my time in my time. And I have had a few spiritual awakenings and experiences, And as for road blocks well those have been of my own making which are usually cause by my fears. My first moment of clarity sober came before I even got to AA.My then wife and I decided to stop drinking after the holidays. So on years eve of 1991 we had our final blow out party. I was able to not drink but unbeknown we me she couldn’t and after 2 weeks she came home drunk. After that weekend she called and was checking herself into a rehab. I thought wow she will be in there for 30 days and I can party until she is ready to come home. Then it struck me that I was stopping for me and not for her and I knew I had to stay stopped. Our insurance would only cover a 3 day detox and part of her out-patient treatment was to go to AA which I went too.

My first spiritual awakening came when I did my second and third steps without even knowing I did them. I had been sober for almost 90 day, had just gotten a sponsor and was going to meetings. The obsession to drink hit me worst that ever before in my life. I told my wife she needed to take me to a meeting or I was going to the liquor store and she knew I was dead serious. At the meeting I heard my story coming out of someone else’s mouth and I knew AA would work for me. At that moment a make a commitment to myself to keep coming back to AA no matter if I was drunk sober of crazy. The obsession then just disappeared, I didn’t know why or how it just did. I called my sponsor when got home and told him what happened. He told me I had just done my second and third steps and we needed to get stated on my fourth step. That was over 25 years ago and that obsession has not returned yet.

Robert
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in pretty, well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming WOW What a ride!!!!

i had many,many "AHA" moments in the 1st year of recovery. still get em from time to time.im not sure what ya mean by spiritual roadblocks, but i had moments of uncertainty. in those times, i kept faith in the program- i would have occur what the BB says would occur- and faith in those that went before me. it worked for them, so it would work for me.trudge the road of happy destiny.

the longer i am around the more i get to see and understand about me my only time i got a spiritual moment was when i started out trying to work my 12th stepi never wanted to help anyone, i wanted everyone to help me or listen to me and my expert opinions on how it all works

i never wanted to do service work, or prison work, or help down and outs

but when i listened to the wisdom of my sponsor and the others in aa who had been doing the same thing i gave it a try

after doing it i felt so good about myself in a real big head sort of way, now i had started to like doing something for others and from that effort started to grow a whole new outlookafter a couple of months it was now part and particle of my living each day as number 1 in my heart was trying to be helpful to others when i look back at that change i find i am amazed and see it as my true spiritual awaking as now i do care about others more than making myself sound important and i dont expect any pats on the head either from anyone as i do what i do for free and i get my own rewards out of putting that effort in

from a drunken selfish, self centred man to someone who honestly does try to help others these days is just somthing i never thought would happen to me as i didnt honestly know i was the way i was

those aa promises with there words knew what would happen for people who are in recovery it spells it out loud and clear

ThelonleyMango wrote:Have any of you had any kind of clarity throughout working the steps? Im still on step 2, and people have told me that these are the steps I will feel most awakened at-accepting a higher power and all..

Beware of expecting to feel a certain way at a certain time. Even the Big Book gets this wrong regarding timing of a feeling at Step 5. The 9th Step promises are at Step 9 for a reason. There are also Step 10 promises (which IMO are the ones we really ought to be reading aloud instead of the 9th Step ones).

I feel like the biggest problem for me right now is in regards to my spiritual growth/spiritual aspects throughout the program.Does anyone have any advice on how to get over spiritual roadblocks throughout working the steps?

I thought I was blocked at step three. I could accept powerlessness over alcohol, and that nothing but a miracle would get me sober for good. I didn't have a God as I understand Him. A wise AA member told me that was ok, I could just turn everything over to whatever I thought was keeping all those other alcoholics in AA sober.That worked at the time, I went on to do an inventory of myself, a factfinding and fact facing enterprise. As I did the steps the belief in a Greater Power than just human power grew.Basically I think the program only asks us to start wherever we are at, regardless of how limited that might be and it still works for just about everybody. There are less than half of us that can not get honest enough to admit we need the help of a greater power to recover. Thats how I read he beginning of 'How it Works'. Let go of old ideas, fear and stubborness, do the steps to the best of your ability and you won't go wrong.

" Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house." page 98 A.A.